PHOTO: MUHAMMAD JAVED/FILE
The suit, moved on Wednesday by FIF information secretary Salman Munir, says Internal Security Additional Secretary Wajahat Ali Hamdani had filed a report in court on September 21 saying the FIF was not listed as a proscribed/banned organisation by the government.
He said the court had directed the FIF to approach the DCO for permission to collect hides.
He said the organisation had submitted a copy of the LHC order along with an application to the DCO, asking him to allow them to collect hides.
He said on September 23, the DCO had turned down their application.
“We could not approach the court then because they were closed on September 24 for Eid holidays,” the petitioner said.
He said the government had told the court that they had no objection to the FIF’s hide collection drive. He said the DCO had acted in bad faith and had directed police to allow the organisation to collect hides.
It is pertinent to mention that no FIR was registered against the FIF in Lahore. However, FIRs against some FIF members were registered in Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib and Okara.
The petitioner said the DCO had ignored the court order and directed police officers to register cases against the FIF workers.
He requested the court to punish the DCO and the additional secretary.
Hamdani had issued a circular on August 25, saying the FIF was a banned organisation and was not allowed to collect hides.
The FIF had challenged the circular in court. Hamdani, in his reply, had submitted on September 21 that the FIF was not a banned organisation and could collect hides with permission from the DCOs.
The organisation, however, was denied permission for its hide collection drive by DCOs across the province.
Five FIRs were registered against eight members of the FIF in Okara, Nankana Sahib and Sheikhupra. They were arrested and 115 hides and a sound system were confiscated.
No member of the organisation was arrested from Lahore or Islamabad for the hide collection drive, though the organisation had campaigned without permission from the DCO.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 8th, 2015.
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